There were no pursuers behind, but on the other side, a large Gao Lei wall appeared in the sky and towered over the river. Even from such a distance, its momentum could be seen.
That place is more frightening than the pursuers coming from behind.
"That's Guyan Town over there, and that place is the stronghold you mentioned," Ji Xiahe said, "Have we avoided it now?"
"It doesn't count," Shen Lie said, "It only counts if we leave Linning completely."
Under the city wall, you can vaguely see military horses coming and going. The distance is too far, and the people are like ants.
"There are not many troops stationed there, less than 30,000," Shen Lie continued, "Song Zhiyi's entire southwest front defense force is still waiting for us in Songzhou."
Ji Xiahe felt uneasy, nodded, and looked towards the surrounding areas: "At least for now, we are safe, right?"
"There's someone over there!" a soldier behind him suddenly shouted.
Shen Lie and Ji Xiahe lowered their eyes and saw at the foot of the mountain road about a hundred feet away from them, a pair of grandfather and grandson were coming down from the valley where the Ji family was hiding. One old and one young, their steps were staggering and they looked panicked.
There was a creek in front of them. On the other side of the creek, another team of scouts seemed to have seen them and was rushing towards them.
Ji Xiahe frowned and said, "Let's go! Go and have a look!"
Both the grandfather and grandson were carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, and it looked like they were going to collect medicine. The old man was nearly sixty years old, and the younger one was less than ten years old. The road was especially muddy after it rained, and they walked every step of the way.
Just after walking down the hillside, the sound of horse hooves in the distance made them panic.
The old man immediately held his grandson in his arms and backed away, looking at the visitor in horror.
Five tall soldiers with shiny silver armor came running towards them on horseback. The leader raised his spear and pointed it at them: "Who is this!"
The old man's legs were so frightened that he hurriedly led his grandson to kneel down, kowtow and said: "We are collecting herbs, Master Jun, we are just passing by to collect herbs!"
"Did you see something up there?" the soldier said.
The old man turned pale and looked up at him: "We didn't see anything, we didn't see anything!"
Seeing that the other party did not believe it, the old man begged: "Master, spare the lives of our grandparents and grandchildren. Our family is poor and we only collect some worthless herbs for a few mouthfuls of food. I beg you to let us go."
The leading soldier had cold eyes. He turned around and looked at his companions. Suddenly, he exerted force on his wrist and stabbed the old man's chest with the spear in his hand.
When it was not enough, he stabbed again, and then turned the gun head towards the old man's grandson.
Shen Lie and Ji Xiahe came from the hillside. When they saw this scene from a distance, Ji Xiahe shouted angrily: "Stop! What are you doing!!"
The soldier looked up and saw them, ignored them, and quickly stabbed the child under ten years old with his spear.
Ji Xiahe cursed angrily and immediately rushed over, followed quickly by Shen Lie and the others.
When they arrived, the old man who had not yet died stared at them fiercely with bloodshot eyes.
Ji Xiahe got off his horse and helped the old man up. Several soldiers on the horse were unhappy, but they also got off the horse.
"Old man!" Ji Xiahe helped the old man up.
Shen Lie checked the old man's injuries and then looked at the child beside him.
The damaged parts were all in the heart, dripping with blood, and unable to recover.
When the old man saw that the person who came was wearing the same armor as those others, he suddenly raised his hand and used his last breath to poke Ji Xiahe in the eyes.
With quick eyes and quick hands, Shen Lie grabbed the old man's wrist. Ji Xiahe also backed away in fright and let go of him.
"Master Ji, it's not advisable to stay here for a long time," the leading soldier said at this time. "You just shouted loudly, maybe you will attract the people hiding in the mountains around you, and then the trouble will be even greater."
Ji Xiahe stood up excitedly and pointed at the old man and the young man on the ground: "Who taught you to treat human lives with such carelessness? These are two living human lives!!"
The soldier raised his head, without any fear, and looked at Ji Xiahe: "If they don't die, if they say it out, we will die. We are not just two lives, there are also your parents and brothers here, Master Ji."
"You are just trying to justify your evil deeds!" Ji Xiahe's face turned red with anger, "Who said we can only kill them? There is clearly a better way! You villain!"
"It's not advisable to stay here for a long time," the soldier said calmly, "I think Master Ji should go back first?"
Ji Xiahe was shaking with anger and couldn't bear it any longer. He raised his fist and hit the soldier in the face.
He had practiced riding and shooting since he was a child, and had also learned kung fu with Shen Lie for half a year. His hands were very strong. After this punch, the soldier felt the bridge of his nose hurt and sore, and his eyes were black, and he covered his face with his hands.
Ji Xiahe was about to punch him again, but Shen Lie stopped him.
"Go back first." Shen Lie said.
Ji Xiahe lowered his head and looked at the two corpses on the ground, then suddenly turned around and mounted his horse: "Zhiyan, let's go!"
ยท
The scouts who went to explore the road ahead came back late. The road ahead was not safe and large armies were constantly being mobilized. When one of the teams went to scout, they happened to encounter the traces of a large army leaving.
This news made several men in charge of the Ji family feel weak in the legs.
At the beginning, I slapped my forehead and decided to run, and I was fully prepared as I thought. Now that I am actually on the road, I understand how difficult this road is.
Seeing the doubtful expressions on the faces of all the people, Lieutenant General Lin couldn't help it at first: "Give me a guarantee, what should we do now, and when will we leave? If we continue to delay, we won't be able to leave!"
Ji Zhongchuan's hands were covered in cold sweat and he looked at Ji Mingyou who was looking at his old father who had been ill for a long time.
Ji Wenhuai looked solemn and sat next to the carriage, holding a cane in his hand.
After a long silence, he looked at the two young men outside the crowd.
Ji Xiahe had just received a minor scolding. Because of his priorities, he would wait and settle the accounts carefully later on what happened to "his own people." Now Ji Xiahe was standing outside with a pale face, looking angry.
Shen Lie stood next to him, not saying much, and keeping his eyes looking towards the high wall of Guyan Town in the distance.
"Zhiyan." Ji Wenhuai said aloud.
Shen Lie turned to look at him.
"How do you think we should go and when is the best time to go?" Ji Wenhuai said.
"I don't make decisions." Shen Lie replied.
"Why?" Ji Wenhuai asked eagerly, "Zhiyan, in this situation, just say whatever you have to say. You can just say a few words."
"Yes, my dear nephew," Ji Zhongchuan also said, "Just say whatever comes to your mind!"
Everyone's eyes were on him.
Although Ji Xiahe on the side was unhappy, he said lightly: "Brother Shen, let's talk about it, my surname is also Ji after all..."
Shen Lie raised his eyebrows slightly, paused, and said to Ji Xiahe in the same soft voice: "They have wasted a day and a night, and now the only way to have the best chance of winning is to take people away as quickly as possible. When you get to the pass, you rush forward, when you encounter mountains and rivers, you go around it, and you run for two days without stopping for a long distance, but do you think your father, brother, and grandfather dare to do it?"
